Inhibitions
by KatieCharlotte
Summary: When you only have so long to live, you have to throw caution to the wind. Sometimes, your defining moments... are your last. Aerrow/Piper.


**Author's note: I have finally defeated my writer's block :'D I hope you enjoy.**

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_One… hour…left…_

You curse beneath your breath, wipe away one lone, frustrated tear. What have you done?

Or perhaps, more importantly… _what haven't you done?_

You're not ready for this, you're not ready to say goodbye. You had a whole life ahead of you, so much potential, so many aspirations. You always wanted to know what you were supposed to do with your life. You never realised that you'd already _lived _your life.

Except, you haven't.

Not completely.

That is why you fought it, isn't it? That is why you didn't tell another living soul. Because you thought you could defeat it. No one tells you when to quit. No one tells you to give up. Not even Aerrow. And you knew everything that there was to know about crystals, if anyone could reverse the effects, it was _you_.

Except, you couldn't.

And now it's over. It's all over.

You stopped her though. Cyclonis. She's dead because of you.

_But soon, you'll be dead because of her_.

Let's face it, you didn't give that girl enough credit, Piper; you didn't plan that far ahead, didn't consider your own fatality a possibility. Did you get too cocky? Or was this whole thing inevitable?

"_At least we're going down together…"_

Right then you should have known something was wrong. You should have known she'd planned something much darker. You clearly weren't as alike as she'd thought. How could you have known that the crystal she'd given to you in her last moments was a Seeper crystal? Rigged to expose you to deadly toxins for which there is no cure?

Fact is, you didn't know.

Fact is, you're going to die because you didn't know.

What has it been like, knowing that you've only had a specific amount of time to live? What has it been like, ticking off the days on your calendar, knowing that you won't see to the end of the year, the end of the month, the end of the week, the end of the day…?

You thought you could fight it. You thought you could fix it. Fix yourself.

But time has finally run out.

You stand in your laboratory; tools packed up, crystals stored away, everything ready to be cleared out. This is your life, Piper. How empty does it feel right now? As empty as this room? This is what you're leaving behind. _What a waste_. Is this really everything you've ever lived for?

Well, no, not really…

There was him.

Aerrow.

The note feels dry and rough between your fingers, you stroke it thoughtfully; everything that was your life this past month is on this tiny scrap of paper. The explanation, the apology, the goodbyes. It'll mean you won't have to face them, won't have to see the tears run down their cheeks, won't have to experience the heartbreak.

By the time they know, it'll be too late.

It already is too late.

_Or is it?_

_Fifty… minutes… left…_

You're going to die in fifty minutes time, give or take a second or two; and what will be your biggest regret? That you didn't get to live a full and happy life? Or that you didn't tell Aerrow that you loved him?

You already know the answer.

So why are you waiting around?

You drop the note on your desk, rush to the door, turn, take one last look at your lab, sigh. This is it. This is your first goodbye. Goodbye to the woman you were going to be.

You shut the door and walk down the corridor towards the hanger.

You don't look back.

You climb onto your heliscooter, don't bother to check your bearings, you already know where he is. You start the engine, rocket down the runway, take off into the amber sky; a slight twinge of sadness, you didn't see your team mates, didn't have the time. They'll forgive you though, eventually.

_Forty…minutes…left…_

The sun is setting as you land, the wheels of your ride coming into contact with the Terra a little too firmly, you're in too much of a rush to land perfectly, you dive from the seat, land with a sharp bump.

Picking yourself off the floor, you look around frantically, see his skimmer not far from you, take off towards the tree house.

The tree house where you used to play as kids.

Terra Neverlandis.

You promised each other that you would never grow up, never grow old. You promised each other that you would live forever. If only such things were possible.

In the distance you can hear him, those noises he makes whilst he's training, the cries of effort and of pain and of focus and of drive. You reach the top of the hill, look up towards the willow tree beside you, smile sadly as you stroke the wooden fence that stood as its perimeter; your defence from the rest of the world. Inside, you were always safe.

The flag bearing the Storm Hawk emblem flaps in the wind, you listen. You remember.

Then you hear him again, a small grunt as he thrusts his blade into the air.

You turn your attention away from your first home and stand to watch him, Aerrow, standing in the training pit the other side of the hill, his energy swords slicing through the nothingness with cold precision, his red hair dancing with every move he makes, his emerald eyes flashing with life and youthfulness.

You feel the tears bubbling to the surface.

You could watch him forever.

Except, you don't have forever.

_Thirty… minutes… left…_

He catches sight of you, falters for a second as his eyes fall upon your tear-stained cheeks, lets his weapons drop to the floor.

"Piper, what is it? What's the matter?"

You forget your inhibitions, let his voice sweep you away on a wave of emotion; blinded by newly emerging tears, you stumble down the hill, feel his strong, steady arms catch you and pull you to him. His heart is hammering against his chest, mirroring your own. Smooth fingers stroke your cheek, take hold of your chin gently, urge you to look up into his eyes.

"_What's the matter?"_

You wish you could tell him.

You wish you could tell him the truth.

You **can**.

Forget everything else, forget the past, forget the future, forget your regrets and your dreams and your hopes and your fears. Forget your inhibitions.

_You love him._

Tell him.

"I love you."

He blinks, stares at you, seems to forget how to breathe.

"Piper, I…"

You don't give him chance to talk, you take your life into your own hands, make a decision. Your lips find his, press against them firmly as you wrap your arms around his neck and hold him close.

You pull away, catch your breath.

"_I love you, Aerrow."_

There is silence for a moment, you feel time ticking against you but you don't care anymore; it doesn't matter if he doesn't feel the same way, you won't know anything about it soon. But now there are no regrets, you can die happy.

You _will_ die happy.

The silence lengthens, you remain still, standing there, your arms wrapped around his neck; and then he blinks again, you watch a smile grow on his smooth lips, feel his arms hold your waist and pull you closer. You hear those words that complete you.

"**I love you too, Piper." **

_Twenty… minutes…left…_

He doesn't ask you why, he doesn't ask you when, he doesn't ask you how… he just accepts it all. He can tell that there's more to this moment than you're letting on, he can feel the urgency; and he responds with a passion and a fervour that you have never seen before.

He kisses you, his hands stroking your body, pulling at your clothing; you let him undo the clasp to your uniform, tease the zip down your back, remove everything that covers your flesh completely. You do the same for him.

He embraces you, presses his naked form against yours. Holds you. Kisses every inch of your skin. His fingers run down your thighs. He lies between them. He takes you. He loves you.

And you know, that this moment will last forever. Whether you're here to remember it or not.

_Ten… minutes… left…_

"If you only had one hour left to live, what would you do?"

"I'd tell you that I love you, a hundred times over."

You smile, fight back the tears. Don't ruin this moment.

You can't change anything that's happened, but would you want to now? You've spent the past month believing that everything you've ever lived for had been a waste; you've spent the past month believing that Cyclonis had won.

But Cyclonis didn't win.

Cyclonis died alone, at your hands. She gave you only a month to live, took away your future.

But you have lived more in this past hour than you have ever lived before.

"Piper…"

"Aerrow…"

"There are so many questions I want to ask you right now."

You lie in his arms, beneath the dying sun, resting your head on his chest, listening to his heartbeat, listening to the life inside of him. His fingers stroke your arm, you look up at him, into his deep emerald eyes.

"They can wait, Aerrow…"

You think for a second, then you smile at him.

"Sometimes you just have to live in the moment."

His smile mirrors yours. You lie back down against him, feel your energy draining swiftly like someone has just switched on the poison that's flowing through your veins. You feel the burn, feel the twinge, like a time bomb is about to explode.

_Two… minutes… left…_

You hold him tighter, want to remember this, want him to know how much you love him, how sorry you are that life has to end this way. He grips you back, like he understands. But you know he doesn't, not really.

"There's a note… on my desk… for you."

"What does it say?"

"All the things I've never said."

_One… minute… left…_

"Aerrow…"

"Piper…"

"I love you."

"I love you too."

This is it. You block out the pain. Think only of him. Think only of this last hour. The last hour of your life. Your defining moment.

"I'll see you soon, Aerrow."

"Where are you going?"

You think for a second… what is the answer to that question? And then you smile, feel your eyes growing heavy, feel your heart slowing. You know the answer. You're not going anywhere, not really; as long as Aerrow lives, you're as alive as he is. You're going to stay with him, even if he doesn't know it.

"… I'm just going to sleep for a bit."

"…_okay._" He plants a soft kiss on your forehead. You cherish it. "_Sweet dreams_."

And then you close your eyes and drift away.


End file.
